


A Hand Dealt by Fate

by UkieS



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Chronic Illness, M/M, Orphan Shiro (Voltron), Past Child Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Roleswap, its a sheith roleswap ok, keith starts off as a dick but its ok, more tags to be added as chapters are released
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 11:55:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17897957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UkieS/pseuds/UkieS
Summary: “I’ve brought a special guest along with me today, I’m sure you’ve all heard of him. He’s currently the youngest pilot ever to lead a mission into space - Keith Kogane.”A Sheith roleswap with a Keith who grew up with everything, and a Shiro who had nothing.





	A Hand Dealt by Fate

**Author's Note:**

> Shiro is 13/14 at the beginning, Keith is 19/20. By Voltron they are 18 and 25 respectively. 
> 
> Big thank you to Lewdser for helping me come up with like, most of this AU's ideas
> 
> I am a SLUT for roleswaps

“I’ve brought a special guest along with me today, I’m sure you’ve all heard of him. He’s currently the youngest pilot ever to lead a mission into space - Keith Kogane.”

 

“Hey,”

 

Takashi eyed the stranger from the other end of the room, gaze hidden under his bangs.  _ Keith Kogane _ . He ran the name over in his mind, watching the man adjust his sleeve. He’d always liked the Garrison greys. They’d looked so official, and from a glance he could see anyone wearing them was working on something amazing. Part of him wanted to imagine himself wearing them, but he always shut the thought down in an attempt to keep his own sanity. He knew he’d never get the chance. He wasn’t smart enough, wasn’t rich enough, wasn’t healthy enough. 

 

“So, the Garrison is sending me to local schools to find the next generation of astro explorers”

 

The officer looked clearly bored, his eyes rarely looking up at the students in front of him - instead they stayed locked to a fixture in the ceiling, like he was attempting to remember his short speech. Takashi followed the waves in his hair, the dark bangs in his eyes, the cowlick to his left. Takashi assumed it wasn’t anywhere near regulation, but what’d he know. The Garrison must not have a problem with it if this is their “star pilot.”

 

The officer - Lieutenant? Takashi believes he’d been introduced as a Lieutenant but he didn’t bother to remember - clasped his hands in front of him, finally looking at the students to address them.

 

“Who thinks they got what it takes?”

 

Takashi smiled at the slight accent the man carried. It wasn’t rare, he was passed around all of Arizona, but something about the way the man seemed to try to hide it only made it stand out more. 

 

He flinched as the kids around him jumped from their seats, waving their hands excitedly, all vying for the attention of a mere stranger. He hunched his shoulders, readjusting his glasses before grabbing his biceps in an attempt to hide behind the other students. It wasn’t hard, he was already small for his age, and going unnoticed was a talent he’d taken almost his whole life to perfect. 

 

Yet part of him still felt eyes on him. A pair cutting through the students surrounding him, almost like he was the only one in the room. He fought his instinct to look up, hoping that being ignored would cause them to lose interest in him.

 

Almost to Takashi’s relief they were soon led outside, to what the Garrison official had called a simulation. 

 

“It’s like a video game,” he said as he was giving a quick explanation on how to use it. Takashi listened, of course. He was interested, so interested it was killing him. But he knew he wouldn’t bother. There was no point to it. Instead he sat on the outskirts of his class, where he’d hopefully be forgotten, like he always was. 

 

That didn’t stop him from watching his classmates one by one attempt the simulator. He kept it subtle, glancing behind his back every once in a while to watch someone who’s name he didn’t care to learn try and fail at flying the imaginary ship. 

 

A part of him ached watching them get to do something he'd been longing for his whole life. He felt himself drawn to the stars, the one constant he had being passed from family to family with no more sympathy than a simple object. A piece of property, that's all he was. Damaged property at that. Something unfixable that no one wanted. Useless and broken in its design. 

 

He knew he'd never make it to the sky. He'd accepted it as fact long ago, when he first learned of his diagnosis. It didn't help the pain in his chest that grew every passing day, closer and closer to his own expiration. 

 

It didn't help that the universe decided to taunt him, bringing the simulation to him. Feet away from the closest he would ever get to achieving his dream. It would hurt him too much to try. What if he excelled, only to be denied by the Garrison because they don't want someone who's own body doesn't work. 

 

What if he tries and fails miserably at it, only to prove it's where he doesn't belong?

 

So he watches from afar, holding back his desire to reach out and touch the synthetic stars. He's lost in his mind when the officer speaks again. 

 

“Looks like no one's made it past the third level. What about you, wanna give it a shot?”

 

Takashi fights the urge to turn around, assuming he's talking to someone else. He's rarely addressed, and when he is he usually ends up wishing he wasn't. He hugs himself tighter, hoping to disappear. 

 

“Hey, I'm talkin’ to you.”

 

_ He'll leave you alone just don't bother him don't turn around don't acknowledge don't- _

 

“I'm pretty sure you can hear me.”

 

A hand his placed on his shoulder and Takashi jumps at the sudden contact. Touching. Touching is bad, nothing good ever comes out of someone touching him. He finally turns, just slightly, enough to lock eyes with the man. 

 

The first thing he notices this close is their color. A blue so deep they're almost purple, shining like the galaxies he's briefly seen pictures of. Like the stars he wished so desperately to explore. 

 

He gave the man a nod, small and brief, unnoticeable to anyone not giving him all their attention. 

 

Unnoticeable to anyone but the Garrison official crouched next to him. 

 

Another quick pat on the shoulder and the man was leading him to the simulator, explaining the basics to him over again. Takashi listened, despite already knowing what to do after watching his classmates. 

 

The explanation ended, he adjusted his glasses, and was off. 

 

Something about the simulator felt natural, he was weaving in and out of asteroids like he was trained for years and not just shakily gripping the controls for the first time. 

 

He noticed the small crowd of kids gathering behind him, his face growing hot at their attention. He ignored them. Pushed them to the back of his mind, letting the simulator in front of him be his only focus. 

 

The screen flashed, marking a checkpoint. Level two. His classmates all failed at level three. He was almost there, quickly approaching the others with the goal to surpass them. Takashi felt a grin spread across his face, his previous fears replaced with a confidence he didn’t know he had. 

 

His hopes were dashed as quickly as they formed when he felt the muscles in his arm lock up. A violent spasm sent him careening into an asteroid, crashing his ship and ending the simulation. The students surrounding him backed off, he couldn’t tell whether it was in disappointment or pity. 

 

Takashi hated both conclusions. 

 

He continued staring at the screen, the bright red letters marking his failure blurred and watery. His throat burned with every attempt to study his breathing. He already felt pathetic, losing so early in the sim, he didn’t want to be caught crying too. It’s not like it mattered. They all left to crowd around the Officer. 

 

He took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself before turning slightly in his seat. He noticed the Garrison official and his teacher talking, assuming they were discussing his classmate’s scores, before noticing the Officer pointing at him.

 

Takashi quickly ducked behind his seat again, closing his eyes in shame. This was it, the closest he’d ever get to achieving his dream. He didn’t know if it hurt more to just barely touch it before having it ripped away, or to never get to touch it at all. 

 

At least this, he knew, stung like Hell. 

 

He took another breath before hearing a voice - his teacher’s - saying his name. 

 

“Takashi? He's… not healthy. I'm not sure he would be the best candidate for the Garrison,”

 

The tears broke through at that, being talked about like the sickly kid everyone viewed him as. Like he wasn’t there, listening in on the conversation he  _ probably _ wasn’t supposed to be hearing - but that wasn’t the point. He wanted to be seen as more, wanted someone to see past the disease and disability, to see the  _ person _ behind it all.

 

Unfortunately for Takashi, he figured that wouldn't be today. 

 

That was, until he was startled by a voice just behind his seat. 

 

“Hey kid,”

 

He jumped, quickly attempting to dry his tears on his sleeve and hide the evidence of his pitiful performance, before turning to the person behind him. 

 

The officer leaned over the seat’s high back, nonchalantly looking Takashi in the eye like he hadn’t just been sobbing over being a pathetic failure. He had a smile on his face. Warm, soft. Genuine. He paused, allowing Takashi to regain his composure, before speaking again,

 

“Do you have any interest in the joining the Garrison?”

 

Takashi’s heart stopped at the Officer’s - no, Keith’s. Keith Kogane’s - words. Takashi made no attempt to remember anyone’s names in his life. They’d all come and go, never bothering to remember him. Why would he make the effort for them?

 

For him though, Keith Kogane, he might be willing to make the exception. 

**Author's Note:**

> AU Shiro has glasses, fight me
> 
> Check me out on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/xUkieS) and [Tumblr](https://xukies.tumblr.com/) ! 
> 
> And Lewdser on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/l00dsery) and [Tumblr](https://commander-sendak.tumblr.com/) !
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
